Locura
by Sorrow Reminisce
Summary: MA UST Within Terminal City, animal instincts are coming to the surface and the adrenalin is looking for an outlet. Unfortunately for the residents of this freak nation it just found one.
1. Chapter One

_**A/N: **First up, this story is the sequel to Repercussions. Although it is preferred that you read that one first, you don't really need to, to follow this one. The main thing to know is that in Repercussions Alec went through a dark patch and regressed back into the mind of X5-494 - but worse. Although he's clear of that now, it turns out there's worse in store for the transgenics of Terminal City, and maybe Alec's case wasn't an accident…_

_**Summary: **Within Terminal City, there's little for the transgenics to do except wait and worry for their death sentence to be passed. They crave the discipline and training of Manticore to keep them on their toes, but Max won't allow any such thing. Therefore, they're growing restless. And some are even beginning to regress back to the mindsets of the soldiers they once were - or much much worse. Animal instincts are coming to the surface and the adrenalin is looking for an outlet. Unfortunately for the residents of Terminal City - it just found one._

* * *

**Locura**

**By Sorrow Reminisce**

Quand l'amour n'est pas folie, ce n'est pas de l'amour

**31 December, 2021**

The boy knew he had been discovered when the footsteps paused at the top of the staircase, and the basement door gave a shuddering creak. In the darkness of the basement the child cast about for a better position to take defence as he heard the first exploratory creak of pressure upon the stairs. There was no other refuge except for the crate behind which he crouched. He'd be exposed to attack before his pursuer had taken a half-dozen steps into the gloom.

Quietly, he released the safety catch of his gun and peered around the edge of the crate as he took aim towards the base of the stairs. Minutes passed as he waited for the enemy to come into view. The building was so quiet, it seemed as if his hunter had left, but he knew this could be a trap to lure him out. The boy was patient. He would continue to wait.

Half an hour later and his legs were beginning to cramp. He pushed the sensation away and focused on the stairs once more. He knew if he screwed up he'd be out of the game. Permanently. This was no fellow X6 after him, but a highly trained X5. One who was evidently having a shithole of a bad day.

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"Has anyone seen Alec?"

Max strode into the headquarters of Terminal City, a look of concern marring her features as she approached Dix and Luke at the computer terminals.

"No, Max. Haven't seen a whiff of him all day." Seeing Max's urgency, Dix turned to the screens connected to the security cameras and began to flip through them, searching for sign of Alec in the streets outside. There was none.

"What the hell's the guy thinking disappearing like this when I need him?" She bit at her bottom lip to hold in a growl of frustration. "It's just typical!"

"What's the problem Max?"

Groaning silently to herself, Max turned to encounter Logan who had entered the room in time to catch the last remark. Feeling so damn awkward all of a sudden, Max attempted a smile and fumbled for an excuse. "Alec left last night with the keys for my bike."

Puzzlement crossed Logan's face. "Why would Alec have your keys?"

"Because…"

"Here!" Dix pointed to a screen showing Alec entering a deserted building on Elderwood. "This was nearly an hour ago."

He rewound the tape further to reveal a blonde X6 entering the same door fifteen minutes earlier.

"They have guns Max." As Logan stated the obvious, Max turned towards to door, trying desperately to keep the fear from her voice as she replied, "it's just a drill."

No one replied.

--------------------

Finally, the X6 decided his opponent must have abandoned his search and moved on. Looking around, he cautiously crawled out from behind the crate and crept soundlessly towards the stairs. If he could make it up to the top floor, he'd have a vantage point from which he could see and, with any luck, pick off his pursuer. Then again, if the X5 had come to the same conclusion…

Sensing too late the presence of another in the room, the X6 whirled around, but not before the opponent's gun was fired, the shot connecting directly with the his chest, a spray of red splattering the wall around him.

The X6 looked down at his chest in mute shock, and then up at X5-494, as he stepped towards him, a smug grin on his face. "Looks like Game Over for you soldier boy."

X6-478 touched a hand to the red stain on his chest. His mouth opened to speak but he was interrupted by the overhead creak of floorboards. Looking up at 494 whose grin had widened considerably at the sound, he nodded as his C.O held a finger to his lips and made a complex signal with his hands.

The boy soldier nodded briefly in understanding, then staggered backwards, crashing into a crate before collapsing to the floor and lying still at last.

X5-494 stepped back into the shadows to wait once more.

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Max heard a crash from below and ran towards the basement door.

"Alec?" She whispered into the darkness, her eyesight rapidly adjusting to the dim light. Before she reached the last step, her gaze fell upon a crumpled body. A chill of horror swept through her as she inched cautiously towards the boy who lay so dreadfully still.

"Dalton?"

The kid didn't twitch a muscle. She felt for a pulse and allowed herself a small sigh of relief to find he had one. Movement from behind caught her attention and a cold chill swept down her spine as she turned to see Alec step out from a shadowed corner.

"What the hell've you done!"

Max's voice was cold as she rose to face him. Her mind numbed by shock at what was obviously Alec's dark relapse. Six months of intense testing by Manticore's friendly family doctors, and it appeared he shared his brother's psychosis after all.

"Aw come on Max! What makes you think I'd hurt the kid? You know I'd never do somethin' like that…"

She shrank back as he stepped towards her but there was nowhere for her to hide, and he was the one holding the gun.

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Alec struggled not to laugh at the expression on Max's face. And as the body of Dalton began to convulse on the floor, he felt his own shake in response as he fought to contain it.

Laughter. It was just contagious.

As Max looked in open mouthed confusion between them, he could fight it no longer. The pressure within his stomach grew until at last laughter escaped from between clenched teeth, forcing them to widen.

Soon similar gawfs could heard from Dalton's shaking form. And as Max's face turned various shades of outrage, the laughter became hysterical and Alec leant forward clutching his stomach to try and ease the cramps.

"What the hell is going on!"

Stunned to find herself so ignored, Max flipped Dalton over to find his wide blue eyes watering with tears, his face red with laughter. At last, Max noticed the smell of paint in the air and realization set in.

"Paintball? You two goofs have been playing paintball!"

Dalton, who had attempted to rise, now flopped back down to the ground as a fresh wave of laughter hit him

For some strange reason, Max didn't get the joke.

"That's the most juvenile stunt you've pulled yet, Alec! I thought you'd know better -"

Alec forced a straight face and stepped forward to place a finger lightly on her lips. "Oh come on Max, lighten up. It was a prank too good to pass by. I needed a good laugh after waitin' three quarters of an hour for Dalton here to make a move!"

He shot the boy a look of admiration. "The kid's got all the patience of an oak! I thought I'd have to blow my cover or loose all feeling in my legs!"

"What's your problem anyway?" Alec's happy go lucky grin faded into a tight lipped smile that held no humour . "Afraid Ben had returned from the dead?"

He knew it was a low blow to throw his twin in her face, but it would be an understatement to say he was hurt by her doubts. He was Alec. 494 would always exist in him, especially in the battles that were to come. But the integral part of him would always be Alec. He'd never let himself relapse in such a way again.

'Let's just say the thought crossed my mind." Max held his stare, her eyes serious and full of doubt.

It was going to be an uphill battle to make her believe him. Though the fact that he did come close to crushing her windpipe a few days ago probably didn't help with her trust issues any...

"Max…" Alec sighed as he placed the gun on top of the crate and took her gently by the arms. "It's a _paint gun_. It's looks convincingly real, but it's not. I would never turn a gun on one of our own if it were anything but a training exercise."

"But you never train before breakfast…" Her voice died away as she realised how pathetic she sounded, and she stared sullenly at the floor. Unwilling even now, to admit she had made a mistake.

"It's a busy day. Dalton came bangin' at my door early this morning."

"Yeah. And the guy was _not _happy to see me!" The X6 laughed as he collected the guns and began to climb the stairs.

As the young soldier disappeared out of sight, Max continued to glare at Alec, her stubborn streak refusing to give in.

"That was a horrible trick Alec. Even for you."

Letting her anger slid off him, knowing it was brought about by her concern, he smiled and drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. After a moment, she rested her forehead on his chest, albeit reluctantly.

"I'm sorry Max." As she pulled back to smile up at him, he felt a flicker of regret for the ass kicking he knew he was about to receive. "But you're just gonna have to get used to it."

"What?" Her smile gave way to an expression of disbelief and he stepped away with laughter in his eyes once more, as he readied himself for the blow that would surely come.

"You've been around Loggie too long Max. I'm sure once upon a time, you had a sense of humour, but he suppressed it with his unbending love of all things stoic and boring - not to insinuate _you're _boring, of course."

Her disbelief turned to dazed confusion as she tried to work out whether or not he'd just insulted her, and Alec quickly continued. "I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that it's my personal goal to remedy this problem."

"Oh god no." Max groaned and held a hand to her head, staring up at his smiling face as she began to wonder if it was simply his goal to drive her crazy.

Looking up at Alec through the haziness of what was the beginning of a rather intense headache, Max realised he was waiting for her to take the bite. But she didn't feel like being reeled in at this hour of the day. Instead, she surprised him with a grin.

"You do that Alec. You make it your life's mission if you must. Best of luck."

She left him staring agape at the spot where she had just been standing in, as she moved past and made her way up the stairs. After a moment, he laughed to himself and followed her out into the street.

"Hey Maxie, wait up!"

As Alec reached her side, Max decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to turn and punch him on the arm after all. Catching her hand as it swung towards him, Alec quirked his eyebrows and grinned.

"Getting a bit slow there huh? Or are ya just hoping I'd hold your hand?"

Looking down at their entwined hands, she laughed and pulled herself away from his grasp, shoving him playfully and dodging as he tried to catch her once more.

"Don't think a Christmas kiss under the mistletoe is gonna get you some action pretty boy!"

He graced her with a knowing smile. "Yeaaah right. You know you want me."

Surprisingly, she didn't reply. Didn't hit him either.

They strolled into headquarters in companionable silence, until they encountered Logan on his way out of the door.

"What the hell were you thinking Alec!" Logan's face strained as his colour deepened to a violent red.

"Aw great, that question's gonna be the story of my day…" Alec rolled his eyes and gave Max a sideways look, sighing as he noted her complete lack of expression once more.

Logan placed himself between the two X5's as he stepped forward to face the person who had long become the bane of his existence. "Just what did you think you were doing chasing after a kid with a loaded gun?"

"He's a soldier Logan."

"No. He _was _a soldier. This isn't Manticore Alec this is…"

"This is none of your damn business Logan." Alec's face turned hard and serious as he took a step closer, watching the flicker of uncertainty in the cyber-journalist's eyes as he realised he was trying to face off with a 'genetically engineered killing machine'.

"You're right though."

Logan's eyes widened in surprise at Alec's unlikely confession.

"This isn't Manticore. This is _better _than Manticore."

"And unlike _some_" Mole, who had been standing behind Logan, stepped forward now, feeling it was as good opportunity as any to try and press the argument which had been taking place within the ranks for some time now. "Unlike some who perceived Manticore as a prison, to the rest of us it was our home. It's rules were our way of life."

Logan looked at Max who continued to stare at the wall, her face turning sullen as she bit back the argument she had been going through with the residents of Terminal City since the siege began. It seemed she was the only one who didn't want to recreate her childhood hell in one form or another.

Realising he would get no back up from her, Logan opened his mouth to fight the good fight by himself.

"And what are you going to do Mole? Force these people back into the life from which we released them?"

"_Force _them back? Hell no. The only thing we were _forced _to do in the first place was give up our home and go into hiding from those who would hunt us down and see us lynched! Our people have lived their entire lives as soldiers Logan. We _need _the security of order and organisation. Without it, many of us are gonna end up going mad."

Alec noticed Max stiffen beside him at Mole's veiled reference to his own regression only days earlier, and fought the urge to comfort her. This was just something she had to learn to accept.

"Well how do you think you're gonna escape persecution, if civilians see transgenics running 'round waving guns and preparing for war?" Logan began to wonder why he was even bothering to waste his breath. He was only looking out for their best interests but they were too stubborn to see it.

"We'll never be accepted Logan. And this _is _a war. So maybe you gotta ask yourself which side of the wall you really want to be behind?"

Glancing around at the small crowd of transgenics which had formed around them, Logan realised he was outnumbered and defeated. Stepping back, he raised his arms in surrender. "Fine. Do whatever you feel you've got to do."

He stared at Max until she at last looked him in the eye. "Can I have a quiet word with you?"

Looking between Logan and Alec, she had the uncomfortable feeling that both men were waiting for her to come to a decision much more profound than the simple act of stepping outside for a quiet word. For a brief moment she irrationally wondered if it would be inappropriate to waggle her fingers and chant 'Eenie, meanie, miney, moe.'

"Look Logan. I said everything I have to say to you earlier. What more do you want?"

Feeling suddenly guilty for so many things, none of them presenting themselves in any solid form, she continued softly with the words that needed to be said. "Besides, I thought I told you to leave, for your own safety. Why are you still here?"

"Yeah well, that's why I wanted to have a quiet word." Logan's voice was heavy with defeat and Max gave in, deciding she owed him that at least.

As Max opened her mouth to reply, Mole stepped forward, grabbed the ordinary roughly by his arms, and him towards the door in no gentle manner.

"Time's up. You've said and done enough already."

Alec stepped forward to place a hand on the lizard man's arm. "Hey, let him go buddy."

The transhuman stopped and stared at the X5, rebellion clear in his expression. Finally he released the cyber-journalist but not before shoving him with enough force to send him colliding into the door.

"Sure thing boss." Mole shrugged in disinterest and turned back to his post once more.

"Just looking out for his health and safety is all. Would hate to see the guy all covered in sores and coughin' up stomach lining from the nasty little toxins in this place."

Alec bit off a smile and clapped him on the back as he passed by. "I share your concern brother."

Turning to watch Max as she disappeared out of the door with Logan, Alec rubbed a tired hand across his face. Far as he was concerned, the guy was like a leech, sucking the spirit right out of her. Maybe _this _time they would see the last of him.

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"Look I'm sorry things have worked out this way Logan. Really, I am. But we've been drifting apart for so long now, surely you could see this coming?"

"What, see you and Alec - the guy you claim to hate - exchange puppy dog looks and swap saliva?" Logan made no effort to hide his bitterness. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the cure, only to have you leave me for _him_?"

"Alec and I were together before you found the cure. You know that." She spoke in a tired whisper as she wondered how many times they would have to go through this conversation before he finally understood.

"Bullshit Max." Logan's voice turned low with anger as his eyes narrowed. "I never believed you two were together then, and I don't believe it now."

'Well what does it matter Logan? Really?" Max's own anger flared as she grew impatient with his inability to understand. "I'm sorry that I've wasted your time and I'm sorry that you wasted your money. But it's over. Please just understand that!"

"But why Max? Why do I have to accept that after all we've been through? You're just pushing me away because you don't want to hurt me, aren't you? But you still love me Max. Admit it!"

Max folded her arms across her chest and tried to quell her irritation. He deserved some kind of explanation but emotional heart to hearts weren't exactly easy for her to partake in.

"I think we loved each other for the sake of having someone to love. But that's not the right foundation to build a relationship on…"

Logan laughed bitterly at her words, his face twisting with emotions. "Oh right. So we can still be friends huh?"

His sarcasm wasn't lost on Max but she choked off her retort. She felt guilty for doing this to him, guilty for doing this to herself. But then, guilt was what had caused this mess in the first place.

"You know, ever since I saw you gunned down on the news, I've felt responsible. Like it's my fault. I tried to ignore it and go on with my life, but it just kept nigglin' at me. I thought maybe if I help you out on your Eyes Only missions, I'd redeem myself."

Her voice was soft and thoughtful as she sounded out this new found revelation. "I guess that's where I started confusing my feelings for you."

"So you're saying you felt obligated to stay with me?" Logan's voice was strained by the effort of holding his own emotions in check, his eyes searched her face for some kind of sign that would give him hope. But there was none.

Looking him in the eye, she gave him what she knew to be the only honest answer and hoped the guilt of breaking Logan's heart would one day cease to choke her.

"Yes. That's what I'm saying." Max waited for the anger and frustration in his eyes to boil over but he held it in, instead turning away from her in silence. That was worse.

"Logan!"

He stopped, closed his eyes for a moment, and waited.

"I know you're no more welcome in the outside world than we are, and it's okay with us if you want to stay. But it's not safe for you here either. The toxins and all."

Logan watched Max as she held in the tears that turned her eyes glassy, and wondered if they were caused by regret or relief. Not wanting to know, he looked to the ground and made little effort to hide the bitterness from his voice. "I think my presence in Terminal City is the last thing either of us need right now Max."

Logan squared his shoulders and walked away, and as Max watched him turn a corner without a backward glance, she released her tears at last.

Letting go was a bitch.

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Alec stared out of the window, a far away look on his face as he tossed an old baseball in the air and caught it absentmindedly, repeating the action until Mole at last snatched it off him and shot him a look of disgust.

"What?" Alec's eyebrows raised in surprised insult as Mole shook his head and grimaced.

"You're just as bad as a human you know that?" The lizard man placed the ball on a bench and gave Alec a glare as he stepped forward to retrieve it.

"Well Mole, I'm not totally _in_human you know." The X5 scratched his head as he tried to work out Mole's little mind trip for the day.

"Look at you! A perfectly good soldier - far as X5's go anyway - gone to waste over some chick." Mole spat the word as if it left a sour taste in his mouth and sat on a broken couch, a faint smile on his face as he waited for Alec to take the bait.

"Hey! I'm not going to waste on any _chick_! I'll have you know I'm like - the _Don Juan _of the transgenic world!" Alec laughed at the relief borne of light-hearted conversation and his voice became animated by enthusiasm as his mind broke away from the strain of being a C.O. once more.

"I don't let myself to go waste over the girls. I watch the girls go to waste over _me_!"

With a smug smile, Alec turned around to find Max had slipped in the door and now stood by Luke, wearing an expression that didn't promise any repeats of the Christmas party kiss anytime soon.

"Well Don Juan, perhaps you'd like to prove you haven't gone to waste by makin' yourself useful huh?"

As the smile slid off Alec's face, he shot Mole an 'I'll get you later' look and nodded as he walked over to Max, mouth opening in preparation for an explanation.

She waved her hand and silenced him with a dismissive "save it" before reminding him that he was on clean up duty.

"Oh and Alec…" She smiled sweetly as he stopped at the door to face her. "Don't trip over the bodies on your way down the street."

"Bodies?"

"Yeah, you know? Of all the girls who'll be throwing themselves at your feet?"

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Alec and Match made their way down Elderwood with the rest of the clean up crew, clearing out old apartments and salvaging what little was worth the effort. As Match had been doing recon on the Outside since Christmas, Alec of course felt it necessary to keep her informed of all that had gone on in TC recently. The ins and outs of the most important issues within the transgenic world…

"I just don't know what to do with that girl! I mean she's always thinkin' the worst of me -"

Stopping in the middle of his rant, Alec rubbed his forehead in thought. "Well okay, it doesn't help that she happens to catch the tail end of every stupid comment I ever make!"

Match smiled and threw him a rubbish sack filled with junk. "I thought you two would've figured out your issues already?"

Alec shook his head as he threw the bag on the trailer used for clean-up duty. "Well yeah. But no. I mean…"

"You're taking it slow huh?"

Alec felt a sudden surge of panic at the realisation this was beginning to sound much like a conversation he'd had with Max once. Over her and Logan.

"It's just that I still don't know where I stand with her. But I'm not complaining! Really. I mean, the fun is in finding out, right? And I can't exactly expect her to get over Logan just like _that_."

"Exactly!" Match inspected a box filled with what must have been someone's treasured personal belongings as she carried on the conversation. "These things take time. And she's a stubborn mule at the best of them."

She stood up and walked towards Alec, a photo album in her hands. "Hey check this out."

Looking over her shoulder, Alec found himself staring at a photo of what must have been a typical pre-pulse family day at the beach. Two children stood before the sandcastles they'd made - probably with the help of the dad who stood beaming beside them. All three were pulling faces at the camera, sand clinging to the sun block on their skin.

It was a picture that made both X5's turn uncharacteristically silent, each in their own way wishing for just one moment of their lives when they could've experienced such a day as this.

"Nice isn't it? The perfect world." Match's wistful smile was filled with regret for a life she would never know.

Alec moved away and continued to sort through the room as he struggled to pretend the photo didn't fill him with sadness too. "And yet another reason why we'll never belong with them."

Shoving the photo in her pocket, Match turned back to the box of belongings, finding she no longer wanted to know what else was inside it. The past of Ordinaries was no business of hers, yet here she was trying to scrounge a life from someone else's. Suddenly it made her feel dirty - not just in a physical sense.

"So, about Max?"

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"It's New Years Boo. Know what that means?"

Max rolled her eyes at Original Cindy's enthusiasm. "Yeah. Another year I've managed to survive. Yippee."

Cindy walked over to her friend and slapped her lightly across the head. "Oh please! Could you _be _more depressing?"

"Do you really wanna ask?"

Max slumped onto the couch and stared blankly at the wall in front of her. "I mean, what's the fuss? It's a reminder of yet another year's worth of struggle to come. Where's the celebration in that?"

"Well that just does it Boo! Original Cindy's gonna lock you and hot boy in a room, 'cause you need somethin' to put a smile on your dial!"

Cindy folded her hands across her chest and grinned as her friend blushed lightly at the threat. Yip. That was _definitely _what Max needed. She crossed the room and sat beside her, deciding it was time to talk some sense into her friend. After all, sometimes the girl was a little dense and needed someone to direct her to the right track.

"So what's the deal with your boy huh? And don't go saying anything you'll regret if he bumbles in here like the last time!"

Max shuddered at the memory and sighed. "I don't know OC. I finally got things out in the open with Logan and you know, I feel so much better about it…"

"Ya think?" Cindy gave Max a look of utter disbelief as she wondered how a girl could wear an expression that suggested her gran had been struck by a Mac truck, while claiming to be happy.

"I feel guilty! I don't know how I feel. I just wanna take things slow you know?"

"What, slow as in you'll wait til someone gives you a retro-virus targeted at _Alec's _DNA and _then _decide you wanna get busy with him? Or slow as in, you'll spend a year eatin' pasta til all those carb's make ya too fat to get your groove on?"

"It's not about that…"

"Oh god girl!" Cindy jumped to her feet and dragged Max towards the door. "It's never about that with you is it? Look. Get out, find Alec, and don't come back 'til you know exactly what you want!"

Before Max had the chance to say another word, Cindy shoved her out the door and locked it, smiling to herself as she wondered whether Match was having better luck working on Alec.

A moment later, Cindy was brought back to the door by a patter of thumps that threatened to knock the door off its hinges.

Opening it to find Max still on the other side, she sighed in exasperation. "Look boo -"

"I'm going, I'm going already. But first, do you have _any _idea what 'Cuando amor no es locura, no es amor' means?"

It was a long shot, but as is the way of things when a writer twists things to suit her purpose, OC just so happened to recognise the line as once whispered to her by a fine Spanish shorty after a particularly steamy night of hot monkey lovin'.

"Honey, I know _that _one in three languages…"

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Alec sat on the roof top of Terminal City's highest building in the hope that Max would have the same idea. He'd been waiting all night, growing lonelier and lonelier as the night progressed until at last he watched the fireworks explode throughout Seattle in signal of the new year, and decided it was time to give up and go home.

Maybe she was at the Space Needle? He cursed himself for not trying there first. Perhaps she simply didn't care about the whole New Year thing. After all, it was just another day right?

As he was about to leave, Alec heard a soft footstep behind him and smiled as a quiet voice spoke into the darkness.

"Hey there."

Max sat down beside him and glanced across the city of Seattle at the colourful explosions that continued to light the sky.

"Thought you'd never get here." He turned to her with a smile, all concern having erased itself from his mind now that she was here beside him at last.

"Yeah, I had some things to sort out." Max gave him an apologetic smile. "And well, you didn't exactly leave me a map to find you by."

Alec shrugged and flashed her a smile. "Well, so what if we missed the countdown? It's just another day right?"

They sat in awkward silence for a moment before Max took his hand in her own.

"Sorry Alec. For, you know, spoiling New Year."

"Hey well that's okay Maxie. We can sit here 'til we see the first sunrise of 2022 instead. After all, it'll be a beautiful view from here. Filled with the symbolism of new beginnings an' all that."

Releasing her hand to place his arm around her shoulders, Alec smiled as she snuggled in close and relaxed against the warmth of his body. His own loneliness dissolved as he took comfort in her presence.

"So what's your New Year Resolution?"

"Huh?"

"A goal for next year. Do ya have one?"

Alec considered the thought. A whole year ahead of them. With any luck, it wouldn't be as chaotic as it's predecessor.

"Well Maxie… how long can the list be? I mean, 'stay alive' that's one goal… And on a lesser scale, perhaps try and be a little less annoying huh?" He grinned at the thought. There was no way he intended to keep _that _resolution.

"Right Alec. Maybe you should stick to something more realistic." It seemed strange to admit it, but the last thing in the world Max wanted was for Alec to try and curb his attitude. What would the world come to?

"Why don't you try 'long term relationship' for example?" She bit her cheek as she waited for Alec's reply.

"Gee Max. Do you think that's realistic? What a strange and curious notion!"

Wondering why he was still tiptoeing around the subject when it seemed Max was waving a light large and green in his face, Alebc waited for her to meet his eyes before asking. "Well… what do you think about the idea Max? Think you could handle such madness?"

"Quand l'amour n'est pas folie, ce n'est pas de l'amour." Just a few days earlier, Alec had spoken these words to her, but in Spanish. Now she repeated them back to him in French. Max laughed as his eyes widened in surprise - they both knew languages were not her strong point.

"Alors nous devons être amoureux, ou fous." Alec's reply was light and playful yet he waited in growing anxiety for her response.

After some hesitation, she finally replied. "Okay, you got me there. I was only pretending to be cultured. I really have no idea what you just said."

Almost sighing with relief, Alec simply smiled and drew her towards him once more. He'd give her a few days to figure it out.

"So how many hours do we have to go until the sun comes up Alec?" She turned her head towards him, her mind playfully considering how they could pass the time.

Alec thought about how life would probably return to it's usual state once the sun rose, and how this closeness he shared now with Max would pass once more.

"Not enough."


	2. Chapter Two

**AN:** The game mentioned further in this chapter is 'Seek and Destroy', which Max and her fellow unit were shown to 'play' through flashbacks in the episode _Pollo Loco_. For those who don't remember, the objective of the game was to hunt down their prey through the forest on the outskirts of Manticore. The target being an ordinary convict Lydecker had offered freedom to if he made it to the perimiter. What Lydecker hadn't anticipated was the savage and insane way the X5 children tore apart the man after they caught him.

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**Locura**

**Chapter 2**

**1 January, 2022**

Terminal City greeted the new year with quiet and uneventful ease. The first sun of 2022 crept up and over the sleeping forms of Max and Alec as they lay stretched out on the tallest rooftop their toxic sanctuary had to offer.

Below them, the silent streets seemed serene and almost beautiful in a sad post-toxic-spill kind of way. By the winter's early morning light, as the little transgenic nation slept, one could almost forget there were creatures half-human and maybe less than half, living within the confinements of it's high security fence, and on the brink of war with the entire human race…

----------------------------

"God damn it! That interfering little X5 bitch is gonna be tastin' the pointed end of a lead bullet when I find her!"

Mole paced the floor inside TC's headquarters with what was most likely a scowl on his reptilian face, and an ever-dependable cigar dangling out of his mouth.

"What's Max done to get your knickers in a twist now Mole?" Dix laughed as the lizard man shot him a filthy look before exchanging his restless pace for a seat on the couch, where he proceeded to clean his shotgun. For what was probably already the second time that morning.

"That X5 wench has stuffed up my inventory, that's what she'd done! I had a nice little list composed of weapons I was sendin' Alec out for, and she has to go stickin' her nose in where it doesn't belong. Tellin' me we don't need them!"

"Max thinks arming ourselves will only give the ordinaries reason to fear us more."

Luke crossed the room to the car engine he'd salvaged earlier in the week and continued to harvest it for useful parts, as he studiously avoided looking in his hot headed friend's direction.

Mole stared at him for a moment and rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, Max wouldn't know shit from clay."

Luke shrugged. All the guns and ammo in the world wouldn't help them if the US Army took them out with a few nicely positioned missiles from above. But he wasn't about to try and point that out.

"What right does she have to come in here and take over the show anyways?" Mole glared at his rifle as if it knew the answer and just wasn't telling him.. "She's a god-damned rogue."

"Hey, you raised your hand too when she was calling for us to unite." Dix took a chance with the remark and tried not to flinch when the weaponry expert started towards him with the threatening stance of a hissing cobra ready to strike.

"Yeah well, that don't make her boss. I'm just waitin' for her to make one wrong move, and then…" Mole paused, wondering if he'd said too much. When the fire of anger was stoked within him even he had to admit he could take things too far.

"And then what Mole?" Match stood in the door way, arms folded together and a 'take no shit' attitude in her stance. "Go on, tell me - my curiosity's all aroused now."

Mole turned away from Dix and frowned at the red haired girl, though he made no move towards her. For a moment he held her glare with his own. A silent war of wills raged between them until at last he snorted in disgust and looked away. "What the hell is it with you X5's sneakin' round and stickin' your nose in other people's business?"

Match shrugged and sauntered into the room, her attitude seemingly lax although her eyes still held their challenge. "Max is one of my own and I hear you mouthin' off threats about her. I call that my business. Besides, it sounded to me like you're talking treason Mole. I'd be careful if I were you 'cause if you force the X-series to stand against you and yours… well, we don't need to do the ordinaries a favour by driving ourselves to extinction."

"Hey, all I was sayin' is -" The transhuman started towards the X5 but she held up her hand, signalling him to stop.

"I heard what you said Mole. And I know what you were implying . And I'm telling you to drop it, okay?"

Match watched as the transhuman deliberated on whether to continue in his rant before at last giving a small nod and turning to his shotgun once more. She exhaled a small quiet breath. From what she knew of Mole, he'd given in too easily for her liking. She hated to think of what was cooking in that mind of his.

The tension in Terminal City was rising and it wouldn't be long before the situation came to a head. Match hated to admit it - even to herself, but maybe Mole had a point.

Their people were born and bred to be soldiers. Max's recollection of Manticore was different from their own, and she had to realise that they _needed _the order and discipline Manticore had provided them. After all, they hadn't asked to have their home razed.

Despite what Match thought of it all, she was prepared to back up Max - hell, it's what Alec would do. But she didn't want to linger on the possibilities of what would happen if Max didn't begin to accept the inevitable: The transgenics wanted Manticore back.

To some degree anyway.

-------------------------

As Max stirred beside Alec on the rooftop, he slowly woke from a sleep which had for once been free of restless dreams. By the slow sound of her breathing, Alec knew Max was yet to wake and so he soundlessly turned on his side and sat up a little, resting his weight on an arm. With a small smile he watched her face twitch with expressions brought by dreaming, and having the sudden desire to make connection with her, he reached out his hand to smooth back her hair.

At his touch, Max's lips curled slightly upwards and Alec found himself leaning in towards her. Before he was aware of his own actions, he softly touched his lips against her own, his eyes closed as he revelled in the feelings that stirred within him by the smallest contact.

----------------

Max felt Alec's fingers brush against her hair and she tried to suppress the pleasant shiver that ran throughout her at his touch. Sensing him lean in towards her, she hoped her sudden pounding heart wouldn't cause him to halt in his descent. And as she felt his lips glide softly across her own, she felt herself began to meet his hesitancy with her steadily growing hunger.

But before she had a chance to greet his lips with her own, he pulled away suddenly. Not wanting to show her disappointment and betray the fact she even cared, Max continued to feign sleep while she fought the urge to sit up and attack him for being a dumbass.

As she lay wondering whether to berate him, she felt his arm slip gently - cautiously - around her, his hand resting lightly against the small of her back. At once anger dissolved and she snuggled into his embrace, smiling as she felt his arms tighten and draw her in closer until her head came to rest under his arm and her cheek brushed against his chest. She slid her free arm around him and a soft smile played upon her lips as she felt his heart began to pound within his chest.

-------------------

Match reached the final rung of the ladder and climbed onto the rooftop, to be confronted by the sight of Max and Alec lying in each other's arms a few metres away. The sight of them spread out on the roof top so peacefully, certainly didn't invoke images of the 'genetically engineered killing machines' of which the media loved to rant on about. Where were the TV helicopter's when you really wanted them to fly by?

Sighing heavily as she felt the weight of the world shift uncomfortably on her shoulders, Match stepped forward. "Hey guys, sorry to butt in when you're lookin' so cute, but you're gonna hafta get up."

With exasperation, Match waited as Max finally peeled herself away from Alec and jabbed him lightly in the ribs.

"Go away Match. I was just about to show Max my Don Juan techniques in seduction." Alec mumbled the words through a smile, and rolled away quickly when Max's jab turned into a hard 'playful' punch. He really should've anticipated that one.

"Look guys, we don't have all day." Match struggled to hold her patience in place, the feeling of doom spreading throughout her though she couldn't pin point the reason why. "By the way Mole is talkin'..."

Match didn't need to finish the sentence. Max had had enough disputes with the transhuman since the siege began, to know the guy's name tended to spell trouble. She jumped to her feet, instantly alert, though her eyes narrowed with irritation. "What's his issue now?"

"Well, as I'm sure you're already aware, Mole's not happy with the way things are being run." Match bit her lip, she probably could have worded that one better. Max wasn't too good at being told her leadership abilities were somewhat lacking.

"Yeah well, Mole's never happy. So what's new?" Although she tried to keep her voice light, there was no missing the challenging tone in Max's voice. She knew exactly where this conversation was going, and she didn't want to hear it. At all.

"Max, you have to listen to him. I know you felt the need to escape Manticore all those years ago, but our people are soldiers Max. We need..."

"Torture? Brainwashing? You need to keep up the training so you can go out and kill more efficiently?" Max hissed the words, anger already beginning to radiate off her in waves. "No Match. We _don't _need Terminal City to become another Manticore!"

Match took a calming breath and tried to keep her own temper in check. She knew Max would react this way. She just wished there was a way to make the pig-headed girl understand. Preferably before she learnt the lesson through hindsight.

"No one wants to bring back the evils of Manticore. But you have to realise that what were cell blocks to you, were barracks to us! You set us free, but we're still in prison Max. Trapped here with the enemy on all sides waiting for us to make a mistake... we're goin' stir crazy! We're used to being confined, but we're not used to being idle. We don't want the horrors of Manticore, but we need our training and discipline back."

"We? What, you're siding with Mole now?" Max stepped towards the red-head but was restrained by Alec as he suddenly placed a firm hand on her shoulder. Wrenching herself free of his grasp, she turned to pin him with a glare.

"Hey, just calm down a minute huh?" Alec held his hands up and beckoned for peace.

As Max opened her mouth to deliver a stinging retort, her words were lost and forgotten amid a sudden splay of gunfire from below. As if the world had suddenly become a movie played in slo-mo, the three figures on the roof froze. Max's mouth remained partially open, her eyebrows furrowed in a tight frown, Alec's hands still raised in entreat, and Match's arms that had been going to rest on her hips - now suspended in mid-movement. For just a few seconds, The Matrix was being filmed and directed on a rooftop of Terminal City.

And then the pulsing energy of life burst back into the scene, unfreezing the transgenics and leaving a ringing echo in their ears as they sought to take in the situation

"What the hell?" Max ran to the edge of the roof and found herself staring down at a grisly if somewhat surreal scene. Two seemingly lifeless bodies lay as crumpled heaps on the ground, while over them, five transgenics fought. At first it seemed they fought each other, but after only a moment of watching, Max felt a sickly familiar feeling wash through her. _Seek and Destroy_. A memory of the gruesome childhood training game briefly resurfaced. "No!"

Alec and Match recognised the behaviour of the transgenics as Max did, and in unison, the trio turned towards the ladder, shimmying down it as far as the second floor, when the released their holds one after the other and dropped the several remaining meters to the ground.

Recovering from the fall instantly, they ran to the small group of X5's, tearing them away from the bodies over which they fought like animals squabbling for scraps of meat. Alec took hold of a towering transgenic and hauled him away, throwing him into a wall and stalking towards him as the attacker leapt towards him immediately. Not wasting time, Alec tackled the X5, bringing him to the ground and landing atop of him, ploughing his fist powerfully into the soldier's temple and rendering him unconscious.

Rising to his feet at once, Alec turned and found himself ducking beneath the blow of another transgenic who Match had hurtled towards him. His attention was suddenly taken up in defending himself against a transgenic driven rabid with a deep seated, manic fury - one that Alec himself had not so long ago related to.

Moving in a tight circle with a transgenic similar in physique to Alec, Match warily waited for her opposition to make his move. Almost as if they were dancing, neither made a strike but rather continued to circle, trying to gauge each other's strength and weakness by the subtle, indescribable signals they sent to each other.

Finally, the sandy-haired male could no longer hold back the blood lust, and he lashed out a sudden foot, nearly - but not quite - catching Match off-guard. She grabbed his foot and twisted it, a tight-lipped smile haunting her lips as his body rolled in the air, momentary vertigo causing him to recover the fall badly, his sensory overload working against him in his crazed desire to rip her open. Wasting no time, Match leapt forward, using every scrap of her strength and training to try and take out a transgenic who had regressed into the darkest part of his being.

Max threw a fist at one transgenic, striking his jaw, but he merely snarled and at her again, forcing her to take the defensive. Behind her, she sensed another transgenic closing in and she warily cast about for her friends, seeing Match knocked to the ground and Alec trying to hold his own against a solid-built transgenic who seemed obsessed with slamming her lean friend against a wall as if he were playing a macabre game of squash.

"Hey boys, if you back off now I promise you I'll go easy on you…" Max's voice trailed off, she knew the look in the eyes of the three who were closing in on her now. Black, empty, void of reasoning. They weren't seeing their leader before them, they were seeing their prey. Right now, these men weren't merely back in Manticore, they were back in the most raw, primal part of their genetic make up. With their nostrils all but twitching with the scent of blood from the men they'd already slain, right now they knew of only one thing: To seek, and then destroy.

Moving with them as they circled her, Max found herself facing the direction where Alec fought the Goliath. Only now, the giant was stalking towards her, his nuisance disposed of. Feeling a chill of panic run through her, Max saw Alec sprawled amid a pile of trash on the ground.

"Look, you're not in Manticore anymore! You're free of that place!" Desperation etched into Max's voice. These men had half a lifetime more training than her, and crazed animal-like mentalities to go with them. She'd already experienced the strength of a regressed X5. Against one, her chances were slim. But against four?

Shrugging, Max turned to the largest, the one who had taken out Alec. She threw herself at the hunkering giant, a fist flying out towards his throat, but only delivering a glancing blow as he ducked away, and then his friends leapt in, each wanting to draw first blood…

As she felt herself be driven into the concrete, Max briefly wondered why she'd chosen the most derelict and empty end of Terminal City to spend New Year, when a body came hurtling into the group of transgenics that now leaned in for the kill.

"Alec!" Her torn and bloodied comrade pulled Max to her feet and flashed her a quick grin and an almost casual, "Hey Max" before slamming a fist square into the face of goliath, an almost gloating expression passing over his chiselled features as he heard the smacking crunch of cartilage and bone. Before he had a chance to strike out once more, his attacker's body was engulfed by a long body-wrenching spasm before dropping the ground.

Stunned, Alec found himself standing before a woman holding a taser in hand. Grinning slightly, the newcomer stepped over the twitching body and struck out at the two remaining attackers. Both shuddered with spasms caused by the electrical currents, and dropped to the ground like their companion - leaving a sudden thick numb silence in their wake.

Surveying the bodies that now surrounded them, Alec wiped blood from a head wound that looked worse than it really was, and crouched over the still unmoving body of Match to check for vital signs. Max looked to their rescuer and uttered a wary "thanks."

The woman almost laughed as she shrugged it off. "Well I was hardly gonna stand around while the leader of Terminal City and her tight knit group of friends got their throats torn out by a pack of…" Unsure of how to end the sentence, the X5 female shrugged.

Catching Alec's look, Max turned away, not wanting to see an _I told you so_ in his expression. She knew he would never be low enough to direct the words at her, but she was afraid she might read her own guilty thoughts reflecting off his eyes. But the sight her gaze fell upon was so much worse than anything she could ever see in Alec's hazel irises.

Locked now beneath her stare were the two bodies of the regressors' original victims. Taking in the sight of the downed men - their plain features and unkempt physiques, Max's stomach rolled sickeningly as the seriousness of their situation hit her in a wave of absolute dread. Stepping towards the bodies, she spoke in a numbed voice filled with disbelief. "Oh no, no - they're ordinaries."

Turning, Max found herself staring into the shocked face of Alec, the death sentence of their entire race seemingly suspended between them. Alec's mouth moved, a hoarse whisper escaping his lips. "Oh god Max - what do we do?"

She swallowed, or at least tried. But her throat was dryer than dirt, and no words of wisdom were forthcoming. Shaking her head, she crouched over the bodies, her eyes travelling over torn flesh, her hands reaching out to touch cooling skin. And then pulling away as if burnt when she felt beneath her fingertips on the body closest to her - a twitch.

"Oh god..." This time the words came out as a barely audible release as she moved her fingertips to the man's throat and felt an unmistakable pulse. "This one's still alive." Another release of air, and no reply from those behind her.

Turning away, she stared wild-eyed at Alec who helping a groaning Match to her feet. Louder now, "this one's still alive!"

Whether this fact was for better or worse, they had to move and get him to the infirmary. And then work out what the hell they were going to do once the families of these men sent the National Guard knocking.

---------------------------

"It's the only way Max!"

"No!"

Within the headquarters of Terminal City, Mole and Max faced off in a heated argument over the fate of the wounded ordinary.

"Look! If we drop him off outside our gates, what the hell do you think the media will make of this? One ordinary near torn to pieces by transgenic _monsters_ and another barely living - but alive enough to tell the tale. _And tell them everything they need to know in order to storm in here right now and wipe every one of us out!_"

The transhuman towered over Max, trying to get it though her head - they couldn't allow the ordinary to leave Terminal City. His testimony would bring the military down upon their freak nation in one crushing blow. Of that, he had no doubt. This was everything both White, and the majority of the world could have ever hoped for. And they'd brought it on themselves. _She_ had brought it on them.

"What do you suggest we do Mole? Kill him? Stash their bodies in a building here somewhere and just let them rot? They were innocent men Mole. They deserve better than that. And if we let that man die we're..."

"Yeah yeah yeah, we're the monsters everyone says we are. Change the tune, I've heard that song already." Stepping up to Max so their faces were mere inches apart, Mole removed his cigar and raised his voice. "And I'm sick of the god damned lyrics! If they were so damned innocent, what the hell were the figwits doing in Terminal City to begin with huh?"

"Hey, hey!" Alec squeezed in between them, lightly yet forcefully shoving Mole back before turning to Max. "Look, you know I'm not advocating senseless murder Max. But we have to think this through. You know what this could mean for us."

Seeing the look of hunted desperation on Max's face, he closed the two steps between them and folded his arms around her. Feeling her slump wearily against him, he nuzzled his lips into her hair, as he ran his hands back and forth across her back in soothing strokes. "We're not going to kill anyone Max. We're not going to let him die. Perhaps Logan could help us, maybe he could..."

Alec's voice trailed off, not knowing exactly what Logan _could _do to help them out of this situation. The human side of him emphasised with Max's desire to let the ordinary go, but the Manticore-born soldier in him knew that it wasn't possible to do so. Grimly, he knew what he and Mole had to do. And he knew Max could never ever find out.

Pulling away, he soothed back her hair, concerned by the defeat in her eyes as if she too knew and the knowledge of this was eating at her slowly but surely from the inside out.

Alec cleared his throat and adopted an authoritive tone. "Match, the ordinary is in a stable condition in the infirmary right?"

The red head nodded, her eyes sharp and alert, already sensing that Alec was trying to stall an inevitable situation.

"Mole, the regressors are under guard?" He glanced to the transhuman who nodded and mumbled through his cigar, "Damn straight."

"Good." Turning his attention to the woman who had come to their aid, he realised no one had bothered so far to find out her name. Opening his mouth to ask, she beat him to it. "Call me Void. What would you like me to do?"

Pausing as he wondered what task he could assign her, he released Max and lightly cupped her chin, tilting her head towards him as he spoke. "Our fearless leader needs to rest. Would you mind escorting Max back to her place, Void? Chances are those were the only transgenics to turn all werewolf on us, but just in case, I don't think any of us should be travelling from A to B alone."

To Max he said, "it's been a long day. Just recharge your batteries a bit, okay?"

To his surprise, she nodded her head in agreement, showing Alec just how weary she really was to be taking orders not only from someone else, but from _him _no less. Turning his attention back to Void, he gave her a quick smile of thanks.

Returning his smile, and knowing he was merely trying to politely get rid of her, Void stepped up beside them. "Come on then... Max."

Looking up at Alec and then Mole, the fiery heat returned to Max's eyes once more. "If anything happens to that ordinary while I'm _sleeping_, you're both getting your asses kicked. Hear me?"

With a cocky grin, Alec shoved her playfully towards the door. "Max - I couldn't miss your voice if I was wearing ear-muffs with a custom-built anti-nag guard."

Turning to swipe him across the head, Alec caught her hand and held it for a moment, a genuine smile reaching his eyes at the contact. "Don't even start beatin' on me Max. The state you're in right now, even Sketch could kick your ass."

Before she had the chance to reply, he'd shoved her out of the door, waiting for Void to shut it behind them before he turned back to Match and Mole and stated in a low, serious voice.

"Alright. Now we figure out how to dig ourselves out of the hole those regressors dropped us in."

TBC….


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N: **It has been so long since I've updated/worked on this story, I'm not sure if anyone can remember what it was about. Heck, I don't know if I can remember what it's about. This chapter has been waiting for upload for a long time now, but here it is at last.

On another note (and my main reason for finally posting this chapter); Voting has begun for Round Three of **The Broken World Awards**, so if you'd like to vote for the Dark Angel fan fiction, fan sites and fan art which have been nominated, please check out the link in my profile. :)

* * *

**Locura - Chapter 3**

**By Sorrow**

**2 January, 2022**

Alec stood over the man who lay unconscious upon the stretcher and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment as he contemplated what options lay ahead - for everyone within Terminal City. A sound startled him out of his thoughts and he looked up, straight into the eyes of Max who stood in the doorway. Stifling the guilt that flashed through his mind, he forced a smile.

"Hey Max."

"Hey yourself." She crossed the room to stand on the other side of the man, her eyes flickered to his chest until she noted that it continued to rise and fall, before she looked to Alec again. "I catch you off guard there Alec? Somethin' up?"

Swallowing back the stone that had somehow lodged itself in his throat, Alec convinced his shoulders to shrug carelessly. A movement that seemed to trigger an automated nonchalant grin. Even on autopilot it seemed his body maintained 'the attitude'.

"Yeah I'm fine Max. Just a bit drained by everything, ya know? Seems the residents of TC are tryin' a little too hard to model themselves on yours truly with the _loco _behaviour."

'Well, what can I say? You're a trend-setter Alec." Max smiled, falling for the ruse hook - line - and sinker. Or maybe it wasn't so much that she fell for Alec's facade, but that she simply preferred to pretend for herself that everything was okay.

"So how is he?"

Alec stuffed his hands in his pockets and shrugged once more. "Oh you know... he's still breathing."

"You say that like you're disappointed Alec." Max eyed him speculatively, taking in his haggard appearance and eyes shadowed by guilt.

"Max..." Alec paused, unsure whether to confide his doubts about the ordinary. "You know he's gonna bring a world of hurt on us once he gets back out there right? I mean, our kind tried to butcher him. If that won't step up their hatred against us, nothing will."

"What do you suggest we do Alec?" Max's tone grew cold. "Finish him off? Prove ourselves to be the animals they think we are?"

Willing himself to hold his tongue, Alec swallowed awkwardly. He'd anticipated this response, but still he'd hoped that by confiding in Max the fears many others held regarding this man, she would somehow understand. Unfortunately she was too damn human after all.

"You're right. I know." His throat felt suddenly dry, the weight of the lies he knew would follow in the days to come pressed into his chest as a painful barb. One which could never be dug out. "So he stays here 'til he's well enough to be taken outside the gates. But we have to do something about the transgenics responsible Max. We have to stop this from happening again."

"Ammo has them taken care of." Max's eyes held their own secrets at that moment. Ammo was an X4 who had appointed himself as some kind of authority in law enforcement within their community. And his methods were on par with the handlers at Manticore.

A tone of suspicion crept into Alec's voice now. "What are you talking about Max? I mean, specifically."

"They're gonna be dealt with Alec. What they did was... they weren't transgenics they were animals! And they murdered an innocent person!"

"Innocent Max? Are ya shittin' me?" Alec held out his arms in a gesture of frustration before pacing to the foot of the stretcher and back. "Max these men came here to cause trouble. You can bet they were hoping to go home with a horror story about us! _They weren't_ _innocent_!"

Max stared sullenly down at the man who lay unconscious upon the stretcher. His injuries had been treated, but even if he did survive, his body would be forever scarred. And who knew what damage the attack would have upon his mental state.

"Maybe no one will believe him." Her words were a whisper, uttered without hope.

"Yeah. Maybe."

Resigned to the knowledge that Logan's influence would always have Max doing what she felt to be the 'right' thing, Alec found it easier to simply agree. He wondered if she'd ever realise that transgenic rules and human rules wouldn't always run along the same vein. Often what was 'justice' for a human, was nothing more than a death sentence to their own kind. The death of Biggs was a prime example. A lesson it seemed Max would prefer to forget.

What he could understand least of all, was why Max was so comfortable with laying the blame and punishment entirely on the rogue transgenics. Would it make her conscience rest easier for the human's sake? Maybe. But it just didn't seem like Max's way. Not at all.

An uneasy silence basked the room until finally Max asked in a voice that wavered with uncertainty, "everything will be fine, right?"

Alec hesitated for only a moment. "'Course it will Maxie."

Inside, he cringed at yet another lie, and wondered if a day would ever come when he'd be able to tell Max something that wasn't a fabrication.

-------------------------

Mole stood outside the room that held the four transgenics responsible for the death of the human intruder and near-death of his companion. Every now and then he would pace before the doorway, twirling his shotgun as if it were a baton, boredom causing him to almost count the spots of mildew on the walls. He was a doer. Not a stand around and do nothinger. And the fact that a no brain thug like Ammo was giving _him _orders... it was about enough to make the reptilian's cold blood boil.

Why couldn't Max see that imprisoning these transgenics as if they were criminals was plain and simply wrong? These men had suffered similar symptoms to Alec's own - except of course, Alec never tried to tear anyone apart limb by limb. Strangling Max was... well that didn't count. There were plenty of sane transgenics who'd considered doing that one to her themselves.

These men had regressed - not simply to the mindset of a Manticore soldier, but beyond that - to the primal animal that lived within them. And they were no more responsible for their actions than Alec was for his own a few days earlier.

If anyone should be held accountable, the blame could rest on Max.

For how long had these symptoms been going on? The fights that would break out between men near-stupefied by boredom. The squabbles over territory as restless soldiers tried to find something to keep their mind occupied on anything other than despair. Too long. And she'd chosen to ignore the warnings.

Sure, there was work to be done within Terminal City. Buildings to be cleaned out for habitation; supplies to be gathered on covert escapades beyond the questionable safety of the perimeter fence; a contingency plan to be organised should their small city be attacked... there was a lot to do. But an underlying restlessness continued to agitate the transgenics. Beneath the planning and god damn cleaning, the freak nation floundered.

They had never asked for independence and truth be told, many of them would return to Manticore in an instant if the chance were offered. The place had been cruel to soldiers who failed in any way to meet expectations. But to the rest - to those who had lived by the rules, Manticore had given them a sense of security and order that Terminal City would never offer them. Not unless humanity did an about-face and decided to accept them. As if _that_ would happen.

Sure, Max's pretty little speech inspired them all after the cops had chased her right into their domain. Great words. Great big empty words. The fact of the matter was that they were sitting ducks. And although no one would say it out loud, they all felt that their attempts to strategise were hopeless. One well placed bomb and they'd all be dead anyhow. And it was just a matter of time before that bomb fell...

"Time's up Mole."

The lizard man spun to face the voice, surprised that he had been so deep in thought to be caught off guard. Leaning casually against the wall a few feet away stood the red-haired gal pal of Alec's, wearing an irritatingly sunny grin.

"Uh." Mole grunted, eyeing her warily. "No it's not. I've still got another hour in this god-forsaken hole."

Raising a speculative eyebrow, Match's grin widened. "Oh. Okay then. We'll if you'd rather stay here than do whatever it is that you usually do 'round meal time, I'll just come back after someone's eaten your rations."

Match turned and began to stroll back down the corridor, whistling a carefree tune beneath her breath.

"Hold on just one minute!" A hand grabbed the X5's shoulder and Match found herself being spun around to encounter the red rimmed, alien-like eyes of the transhuman. "Why the hell are ya so eager to take over my shift huh?"

An innocent expression slid over Match's face like a well fitting mask. "Me? Oh, I'm not eager. See - this is me walking away." Stepping back, Match pulled away from Mole's grasp and turned towards the direction she had appeared from once again.

"Just damn well hang on a minute!"

Sighing with mock exasperation, Match turned to Mole once more and waited silently for him to speak.

"You're as god-damned sneaky as your friend Alec!" Mole jabbed a finger at Match's face and she smirked back at him as he continued to rant. "Don't think you can leave me out of the loop! I don't like being told what to do by that idiot Max, and I won't put up with bein' given the run around by the likes of _you_ - now spit it out!"

Tilting her head to one side playfully as she considered his words, Match finally let the metaphorical cat out of the bag. "Okay fine. But I need your help."

"Ah for the love of shit!" Mole's eyes glittered angrily, realising she'd set him up right from the word go. He rolled his eyes and waved his hand impatiently. "Carry on."

"You know as well as I do that what happened to those transgenics in there is not a once off. And you know that Ammo plans to punish them harsher than any Drill Sergent at Manticore because of it."

"Hmmph. If he had the brains and the technology, he'd have them dissected first - just to see what made 'em tick over. He thinks he's one of _them. _You know if I was gonna be suffering delusions of grandeur, I'd be fancying myself as the god-damned President - not some whacked up Manticore director."

For a moment Match smiled at the mental image of Mole; President of the United States. "Yeah well, we know better right? What happened to them is the same as what happened to Alec. They regressed. Only worse this time. And if we don't help them, Max isn't going to see the light 'til it's way too late."

Mole nodded, wondering if he was about to make a deal with the devil. "So what's our plan?"

Match gave a short sharp whistle and Mole looked beyond her to the transgenic who appeared from around the corner. As she approached he recognised her from the previous day. She'd jumped in to help fight off the regressors. A loner it seemed.

The woman with the short blonde hair stalked slowly forward and Mole got the fleeting impression of a Siberian tiger hunting its prey. The image caused his reptilian skin to crawl but the moment passed as she smiled lightly at him, grey eyes losing their glacial appearance. Coughing slightly, Mole stepped back, shrugging away the uneasy feeling to the back of his mind, to pick over it later.

"Mole, you've met Void - briefly. She gonna help us with these guys." Match stepped past the transhuman and towards the room which held the regressors. Glancing up at him, she noted his sceptical expression. "She can help - she was psy-ops."

"Ah." Mole nodded, understanding now why she had made him so uneasy. It was in the eyes that looked too far into him, making him feel as if his very mind was being assaulted against his will. Face it. Those from psy-ops were freaks even by transgenic standards. Many Manticorians had not-too-fond memories of the ways in which they would prod and poke the mind, searching for signs of failure and deceit on behalf of the handlers. No wonder this one kept to herself. He would too if he walked in her shoes.

"So you're gonna get inside their heads and find out what's goin' on huh?" Mole tried not to shudder at the thought. He had never experienced such things, but he'd heard stories from those who _had _been through psychiatric observation, and the tales weren't nothin' he'd read to children.

Void glanced at him, a knowing smile hovering on her lips. "Why? Does the thought scare you?"

Mole snorted and stepped aside to unlock to door he'd been closely guarding a few minutes earlier. "Hardly."

Flashing him a withering smile that indicated she knew better, Void stepped inside the room and pulled the door shut behind her. With Mole and Match on the other side, she now reached into the pockets of her cargo pants and withdrew a small vial from one, and a handful of wrapped hypodermic needles from the other. The transgenics sitting on the opposite bench were listless now, but soon that would change.

As she approached, one looked up at her, a dazed expression on his face. Smiling as his confused gaze turned to recognition, Void stepped towards him and wordlessly began to unwrap a needle.

**TBC…**


End file.
